It's A New World
by LeoCards
Summary: 12-year old Miya appreciated a normal life. Really, she did. But she didn't expect her cousin to drag her into a messy new world, where dwarfs and elves and orcs existed. Never. In a million years. But look where she is now? In Middle Earth. Starting anew. As an infant elfling. Hoorah! ... NOT. How does one deal with a new approach in life when she'd gone through it only once!
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own anything besides the Maerielle(and her multiple other names) and Miya(and her soon to have multiple names). Nothing else. At all.**

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Chapter One: The End is The Beginning

~Third Person with Miya~

"Homework is _evil._"

Although how much this statement is true, we'll need to go on with the story. The mutter came from a small figure; who sat by a desk, no older than the age of 12. Her brown hair was swept up in a messy bun, and she was slouching, her posture really bad, and her legs swinging from side to side below the desk, matching the _Jesse's Girl Glee Version_ that blared from the small radio beside her.

Even though after had muttered that small phrase in a snide tone, her actions didn't stop. Her elbow was still perched up the desk, her hand tightly gripping the pen, writing the answers to her homework furiously.

At the end of what she supposed was the correct answer for the question, she stopped, read the next question silently with her eyes, and sighed. She flipped a few pages back, trying to find the answer for the question. She flicked to the next page, and smiled in approval when she saw the question, only rephrased into a sentence.

She flipped to the page she was answering, and scribbled down the answer, her movements producing harsh, scratchy sounds that echoed through out her room.

Finally, she stopped, a massive grin painting itself on her face. She carelessly threw her pen to the air and she slammed her book close, standing up abruptly. The girl whooped out in victory, as if she had just won a war against something horrible.

"YES!"

Her cry rang out through the neighborhood, and she squeaked not-a-second after, blushing in embarrassment. Slowly, she walked to the window and peeked through the draped curtains. The everyday mailman had paused to look at her house, a disturbed expression on his face.

She squeaked again and let the curtains fall back to their previous position, turning even redder. 'Stupid' She remarked mentally to herself, hitting her forehead softly with her palm. After a moment of thought, she collapsed to her bed and gazed at the ceiling, trying to ignore the dull feeling of her clipped hair being pressed to the back of her head.

Her name is Miya Allison, and as stated earlier, she is 12 years old, trying to finish the last of her homework for the weekly break. She lived in Maple Street somewhere in California and currently, she was left alone in her family's house.

Awesome. She could burn down the house and nobody could stop her!

...She was kidding. She doesn't have the guts to even set a whole curtain on fire, let alone a house. And even if she did, her ancient computer would be caught, and then she'll be grounded from the Internet forever. She'd never let that happen.

Her parents and little sister had gone up and left for the mall, giving her sometime alone to host her guess and finish her homework at the same time. Luckily for her, she had learned to expect these decisions from her parents so she had already finished half of what was assigned to her. Now that she had finished, all she had to do was wait for her 'visitor'.

She rolled to her side and stared at the clock high up in the wall. It's not that she was impatient, but being a kid separated from her 'visitor' for so long, she just _can't_ wait. She momentarily closed her eyes to rest them. It was unusual for her to be like this, but she was a child, who can blame her? She rolled over and rubbed her hands together, then covered them over her eyes.

All of a sudden, there was a loud 'ding-dong'. Brown eyes snapped open as she wasted no second on immediately bolting out of the bed, slamming the door open and sprinting down the stairs. She skidded to a stop in front of the door and fixed herself, before opening it and hugging the womanly figure that was waiting at her doorstep.

Maerielle Kyle was her eldest cousin, exactly 12 years and 2 months older than Miya, spending her life leisurely at the age of 24. The woman studied in SNA Central College, working past time as a volunteer in the Anti-Child Abuse Department and was Miya's absolute favorite relative(second was her little sister; Kim and third was Maerielle's little brother, Reuben) She was fairly attractive and openly a dare-devil, owning a slim figure. She used to have the ideal boyfriend and friends. However, the woman's life turned into a really strange twist.

Miya refused to talk about it, to anybody. Not even the cops, who were questioning her. Not even to her friends who tried to bribe her with pasta. Not even to Maerielle herself, who begged to learn the whole incident later on, after finding out her memory was fuzzy.

It started normally, Miya and Maerielle(or Maye, as she liked to be called) were walking home after volunteering in the Anti-Child Abuse Department. They were discussing about a project when a kid from the street across had slipped from his mother's hold, running to the middle of the street excitedly. The younger girl of the relatives was too busy venting out about her school rival, that she didn't notice Maerielle gasp and run to the middle of the street, effectively pushing the child out-of-the-way, until she heard the screams, honking, the horrible thud, and then the screeching of tires.

And after that, Maye fell into a coma. Aunt and Uncle Kyle refused to let go of their daughter, so she stayed in that hospital room, unconscious for 13 months. By that time, her parents were getting doubtful, and Miya thanked God that Maye finally woke up.

However...

She changed. In more than one way. Many different ways that Miya can't describe herself.

Miya smiled at her, and the older smiled back hesitantly, as the younger stepped back and let go of Maerielle.

"Maerielle! Get in!" She ordered firmly, her eyes twinkling, "You have _got_ to come up to my room! I have something to show you!" The girl excitedly whispered, ushering her in.

Maye hesitantly stepped in, looking up and down at Miya's clothing, then settling for her face and raised a delicate eyebrow.

"Why are you still in your pajamas?" She asked curiously, staring at the large yellow smiley face print on Miya's shirt.

"_Because!_" Miya answered, as if the word explained everything, but the real reason was that she refused her surprise be found out, and that she was too lazy to explain to the other the real reason. "Now hurry up! Hurry up!" The other stage-whispered, pushing Maye aside and locking the door.

She made sure that the door was really locked, patting it apprehensively, then whirled around to run after her cousin, whom she predicted would have followed her instructions and would already be on the room, rolling her eyes of the other's immaturity, but her prediction was wrong. Maerielle was still there, and she didn't look like she was going to budge out of that place anytime soon.

Miya decided she would change that. "What are you waiting for?! Go go-go!" She exclaimed, but she still didn't budge.

Huffing, Miya softly pushed her forward, up the stairs, her doubts rising at her cousin's out of character actions.

Maye seemed to notice her doubts for she held back, ending up stumbling up the stairs. "I-It's not like that! I-I just feel like I'm I-intruding!" She explained quickly, making Miya pause and stare at her with an incredulous look. "_Intruding?_" She repeated with disbelief laced in her voice, making Maye stutter even more, a nervous expression coming over her already pale face.

With narrowed eyes, Miya looked at her cousin from head to feet, before shrugging carelessly.

"Maerielle," the younger started, sighing exasperated, "This is...your 2ND home. You're never intruding." She sighed, not catching the pleading eyes her cousin was giving her. "Now...Up, up! We might miss it!" She urged, and Maye had no choice but to follow.

Their footsteps echoed through the quiet house, and they entered Miya's room, shutting the door close with a soft 'thud'. The owner immediately plopped down the bed, grabbing a remote control out from under the thick sheets, then started pressing random buttons.

The television flashed open, and Miya looked at the wall clock once more. 8:31. They were barely on time. She felt the sheets shift the bed and let out an audible creek, telling her that her cousin just sat down on the bed, probably behind her. The advertisements were playing, and she clicked her tongue in disapproval.

There was a sigh, and the bed shifted again. Maerielle had obviously stood up, making her turn behind her.

"What are you doing?" She asked, and Maerielle picked up a piece of clothing from the floor. It was small and shaped strangely like a triangle.

Oh.

"What are you doing with that? Drop that now!" Miya squeaked, blushing in embarrassment. She rolled off her bed and snatched her green underwear from her cousin's hand. Maerielle chuckled, her eyes dancing in amusement.

"Are you really that careless with your underwear?" She asked, a teasing tone in her voice, making Miya flush even brighter.

"Shaddup." Was her only reply.

Maerielle giggled as she collapsed into the bed, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. She was clutching her stomach and laughing like there was no tomorrow. Miya scowled at her and threw the underwear to the laundry basket.

Unluckily for her, she has the worst aim in history, and instead, it flew over Maerielle's head and into her drawer. _That_ made her guest laugh even harder. Her scowl became darker as she embarrassingly trudged towards her drawer and this time approached the laundry basket to put the underwear properly.

"*Gaitre, huh?" The older smirked, watching in amusement as Miya froze as if she had been petrified by the Basilisk itself. The younger angled her body around and gave her a curious look. "How did you-" She paused and Maerielle's smirk grew wider. "I saw it in the fabric. Very well hidden." She mused, more to herself than to Miya. "And, only the Gaitre brand of underwear have customized options. As long as I know, anyway." She continued, and Miya smiled, albeit shyly.

"They had a sale and if you bought the whole set, you get another one for free. I just had to pay them for the customizing." She informed Maerielle, looking at the ground shyly as her cousin burst to another fit of laughter.

She turned around towards the laundry basket and observed her underwear. It was printed with Akatsuki clouds, and Miya loved it.

By the time she turned around, she found out that the laughing had ceased, and Maerielle was staring at the screen of the TV that displayed the title of her supposed to be surprise for her cousin; "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring".

Slowly, Maerielle turned to her younger cousin, an emotion that Miya can't identify clouding her blue eyes like a fog. "...What?" She started softly, and Miya blushed. She fidgeted under her cousin's stare.

"Well..." Miya started nervously, suddenly feeling shy. "You seemed so obsessed with the book...so I thought that you would love to watch the film." She explained in a small voice, and mentally, she nodded, agreeing with herself.

After waking up with her coma, Maerielle became addicted to the series of Lord of the Rings, almost reading it every second of her day. That had been one of the things that changed in her.

For all Miya knew, Maye didn't like fantasy.

But after, she did.

"I-I was thinking about what to show you, when the TV just suddenly showed a Lord of the Rings marathon so..." She trailed off, drawing patterns in the floor with her left foot. Maye sucked in a sharp intake of breath, and Miya had to secretly smile in her head.

Her bed creaked, so Maerielle _must be_ moving. She had just looked up to look if her cousin was still there, when she was suddenly engulfed in a heart-warming hug. Maerielle had buried her head into the crook of Miya's neck, squealing in joy.

Surprised, the girl hugged only patted the older's back awkwardly. She was tense ans wondering why the heck her cousin just did this, but her thoughts were cut off when her cousin's shoulders started shaking and she could feel warm liquid wetting her shirt.

Wait...Maerielle was...crying? _Why?_

"H-Hey! What are you-" Miya pulled back, looking at Maerielle with confusion etched on her face. OK, she may be only 12 years old but she isn't that dumb. "Why are you crying?" She asked quietly, unsure of what to do.

Silence followed, but then Maerielle started giggling as she quickly wiped her tears away. "I-I am s-sorry. It is just...y-you are very kind, Miya."She told her softly, and the young girl blushed. She shook her head and gave her a dry look, trying to pull a tsundere.

"Well, there's no need to be so emotional about it!" She told her, putting on a defiant look, suddenly feeling as if she was the older one. "C'mon, let's watch! I want to find out what you're so interested in!" She stated in a matter-of-fact tone, pulling the still-sniffling woman to her feet and making the both of them plop down the bed.

The introduction started, and instinctively, both of them brought a pillow to their persons and hugging them softly.

They watched with observant eyes,but it was only the awakening of the hobbit named Frodo and Miya was already annoyed with her cousin.

The sighing of Maye had started when Arwen; the beautiful elleth had arrived. Then it continued on with their first sight of the elven realm; Rivendell. Then she was still sighing and it was only at the romantic scene of Arwen and the ranger Strider.

Miya suppressed the urge to twitch.

She tried to stay calm and reminded herself that Maerielle had just experienced a nasty break up. If you scroll up and read the paragraph introducing Maerielle Kyle, at the last part you would read "used to have the ideal boyfriend and friends." and _used to have_, being the key phrase.

She broke up with Trent. Maerielle loved Trent. But now...

Miya sighed, and figured she shouldn't be thinking about this. She was 12, for Pete's sake! She shifted her position in the bed, now sitting cross-legs and watched the scene that unfolded before them with a bored expression. She thought it was weird.

"Maerielle, why do you like the book _and_ the movie?" She asked randomly, making the other turn and stare at her. Maerielle contemplated the question for a few seconds, hesitant to answer before she twisted her body, now facing Miya.

"Because...I just feel, like I lived a life in there. It makes me feel oddly...nice." She explained quietly, and Miya raised her eyebrows at the strange answer. After a few seconds trying to comprehend the answer, she shrugged and turned to the TV. Oh well.

Maerielle frowned at the lack of response but let it go.

"-forth the ring, Frodo." The elf lord of Rivendell; Lord Elrond as how Miya had learned, stated, sounding serious and the screen turned to a small child looking barely at the age of 15. It was Elijah Woods, Miya figured. However, he was so short and he looked dirty and scared. The young girl tried to refrain a coo at his cuteness.

He rose from his seat and slowly walked to a small stone pedestal in the middle of their little circle and placed down a small golden ring. Whispers broke out from the circle, almost immediately as he stepped back. He sat back down, and looked exhausted, as if carrying the Ring was a great burden. Miya knew it was. It said so in the introduction.

A tall bearded man stood up making his cape fluttering a bit and up from there, Miya refused to pay attention any longer. She already got the plot of the story. Ring is dangerous, needs to be destroyed, make group, group go to place called Mordor, Ring destroyed. And also, she wasn't really like Maerielle, who had learned to love fantasy.

Out of boredom, she rolled to the edge of the bed and pulled out a Sports Magazine, then began flipping through the pages. Her cousin ignored her disregard and focused on the movie. At this, Miya sighed at the silence and continued on flipping.

Then she paused and stared at the screen, wondering what was so fascinating about it in the depths of her mind, and decided after a moment of silence that she should stop her cluelessness and start asking questions about the movie and the book. It won't hurt to ask.

"Why do people have beards in there? And those short people with their beards tied in styles? And why the heck does that dude over there have better hair than Christine?!" She asked, panting at the mouthful of words, quickly losing her breath, making her say the last question with forced volume.

Maerielle laughed and turned to her. "Miya, it is normal for people there to have beard. And those short creatures are dwarves. It is... common for them to have their beards tied. But you do notice that they are still untidy, do you not?" The little girl nodded enthusiastically, opening her mouth to add her own comment but Maerielle continued, playfully flicking a loose strand of black hair.

"Elves are considered to have the best kinds of hair in Middle Earth." Her voice sounded odd, as if she herself was wondering about it, "Having long hair for them is completely normal. They are the fairest kind in Middle Earth. And yes, his hair is better than Christine's." Her lips twitched at the mention of her best friend, but she nonetheless remained impassive. She sucked in oxygen, and Miya figured that the smile that was sent to her was what supposed to be was an amused smile, but her tense figure screamed otherwise.

Miya is a child, 12 years old, but she isn't dumb. She's mature, and she had noticed a lot of things these months. One of them was that Maerielle's way of speech changed. Drastically.

Maerielle flinched at the child's tenseness, making Miya rethink her actions. "OK, OK, sheesh, Maye, no need to get all riled up." She playfully teased, trying to lighten up the mood. She hopped off the bed and walked to the door, her footsteps loud. "So, would you like anything? I think Mom left us waffles and pizza before they left. We'll just have to heat them, and it's a feast!" She exclaimed at the older woman, gesturing wildly at the air in exaggeration and giggled when as if on cue, Maerielle's stomach made a loud rumbling noise.

Maerielle didn't seem to mind though. Her attention seemed to be cemented on the movie.

"Do you have *_lembas_?" She asked distractedly, waving her hand carelessly. Her eyes were taking every detail of the screen. Almost needing to see the place for _real_. Miya laughed nervously at the faraway look in her cousin's face and the foreign word she just stated. How Maerielle got that accent, Miya wanted to know.

She cautiously picked up the remote and walked to the distracted human female. "Maye?" The name fell from her lips, meek and quiet, and the woman addressed didn't answer.. "Maye?" She repeated, this time stronger, willing herself not to make her voice quiver. Her actions are starting to scare the child. But Maerielle was completely unaware of her surroundings.

Miya frowned and knelt beside the bed, only a few inches away from Maerielle. She called the older girl's name and like her trials earlier, she received no answer. Then she just suddenly pinched the slumped arm of her cousin.

This time, she did get a reply. Maye yelped in shock and surprise, scrambling up, an accusing glare at her pale face, but before both of them even had the chance to register her anger, it disappeared immediately, her face appearing warm and welcoming again.

'Oh my God, had my cousin turn bipolar?' Miya mentally asked, looking at the woman with wide eyes.

"What is it?" she mumbled, eyes darting back to the television, ready to watch again but Miya pinched her, this time more painfully. She, again, yelped in pain, and her head whipped back to Miya. The anger returned but only to disappear again. "You're distracted by the movie." The little girl's scared whisper seemed to snap her out of it, because she had regret clouding her eyes.

With all the responses Miya expected, that wasn't certainly it. Maerielle was _never _one to hang her head in shame or possibly regret anything. If anything she would be sorry, but never regret it, because she'd have enjoyed the look on Miya's face. Miya knew that.

"What's...lembas?" The young girl asked after a moment of silence, but the older continued to bow her head. The pronunciation was very different from how Maerielle had pronounced it, but Miya didn't really care. Her accent also made it sound incredibly strange. Starting to get a bit annoyed, Miya tried to shake her out of it. Gripping her shoulders tightly, the tiny girl started shaking furiously.

"Maye! You're being very weird lately!" She hissed at her, and Maerielle's body started shaking. "Even your _parents_ noticed it! What is going on with you?" She continued hissing at the other and shook her over and over again. Unlike the real Maerielle, she didn't push Miya away and hit her in the head for being disrespectful but instead began whimpering like a hurt puppy.

'Okay, shows over, who are you and what did you do with Maerielle?!'Miya panicked mentally, scrambling backwards, away from the whimpering woman. Maerielle saw that, and she felt her heart tear a bit. She was scaring her cousin, damn it!

Shakily, Miya stood up and grabbed the remote control from her pocket. "I-I think the movie's getting to us, Maye. I'll forget me being creeped out by you ever happened, let's just do something else." She muttered loud enough for the other to hear as she flipped the remote high on the air, aiming for the 'off' button.

Her companion didn't agree though.

"No!" Maerielle cried out, bolting up making Miya pause and almost not-catch the remote.

"Please, don't." She pleaded adding in a whimper and Miya sighed in defeat. "O...K. I'll just...just go get something to eat." She said in a defeated voice, turning around to get chips but Maerielle grabbed her small arm.

The older girl paused, unsure of what to say and in the end let out a simple but meaningful 'sorry'.

Understandingly, Miya nodded but then she froze. "Do you-Do you smell that?!"She asked suddenly and Maerielle furrowed her eyebrows, sniffing the air curiously.

Then, both they're eyes widened in unison. Both of them bolted downstairs, to see most of the room clouded with smoke and fire. "Oh My God!" Miya screamed as she scrambled back, almost getting herself burned by the blazing desk that held the phone. The sofa was blazing with hot fire, and the door was blocked by blazing furnitures that were crackling, as if mocking them.

"Oh My God!" She repeated-screamed, and Maerielle's own eyes widened. Their shoulder's started shaking. There was a rumble, and both of them turned their heads to see one of the cabinets fall off the wall.

Their eyes darted back and fort in panic. Miya could hear the screams of the people outside. She so wanted to swear right now. Then, she felt a strong tug at her wrist. She whipped her head around to see Maerielle dragging her.

"Where-Where are we going?!" She asked, voice wavering, her eyes becoming moist.

"Bathroom." Was her answer. She nodded understandingly and let out a shuddering breath. They were only halfway the room, trying to avoid the flaming objects when-

"MIYA! WATCH OUT!"

The young girl could only stare at the flaming bookshelf with terror. Her legs were frozen, she couldn't move. The large wooden furniture leaned forwards and completely fell, flaming books tumbling down onto her.

It went down...

down...

down...

onto her.

Oh God.

She squeezed her eyes tight, praying to God that He take care of her and her family. The last thing she remembered was feeling Maerielle's arms wrap tightly around her, and the large amount of hard bound books collide with her body, before she lost consciousness.

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**Please review and tell me what you think. I know I put too many commas.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Sudden Arrival

~Third Person with Maerielle~

The woman is lying down on the ground, eyes tightly closed, her arms wrapped protectively around a small bundle; wrapped in strangely colored clothing. She slows her breathing, trying to calm down her rapidly beating heart.

She waited for a moment, expecting to feel the burning flame that was supposed to get to her and devour her, but when she felt nothing, only the wind blowing gently against her skin, she opened her eyes.

Blue. They were the bluest of blue. Almost like the depths of the ocean. Her long black hair was messed up, strands sticking up here and there, and her skin was pale. She was very thin, showing malnutrition.

But she still managed to look attractive.

Very slowly, Maerielle sat up, taking her surroundings carefully, shifting the unfamiliar weight on her arms uncomfortably.

She was somewhere in a woody place, for she saw trees as tall as buildings towering down at her. The ground was covered with scattered dried up leaves, dead logs, and occasionally moving insects.

However, after a few seconds of comprehension, all that entered her mind was this one phrase.

She was_ back_.

Slowly, she carefully placed the bundle she was carrying into the forest floor, before stretching out her arms before her and staring at them like she'd never seen them before. The following 'pop' of her bones managed to convince her they were real. She reached up and felt her ears, and to her delight and shock, they were pointed. Slowly, she creeped her hands to her face, softly brushing against them. She touched her face, feeling the scars that she never had back on Earth.

No matter how bad are the memories they brought back to her, she had to admit, she actually missed those scars. She felt each one of them, her eyes still wide in disbelief. Her wandering hands came upon her hair, and she sighed fondly when she saw that they were in the length she was used to when she stayed here.

Still wearing the outrageously frilly dress her _naneth_ had forced her into, she willed herself to kneel, telling herself that she needed to stand up. She firmly gripped the nearest tree, numb hands shakily wrapping themselves around the rough barks and tried to pull herself up, ignoring the stinging sensation when the pieces of bark embedded themselves into her fingers and into her nails. She only succeeded half-way through, because her legs felt like jelly and she ended up falling on her rear.

She growled in frustration, but then after a minute that the sound had emitted from her throat, it died down. What had happened to her?

She remembered visiting her lovable little cousin, Miya Allison, who was only 12 years old. Then Miya had shown her the TV Lord of the Rings Marathon. Then...there was...something very hot. Lots and lots of smoke. She remembered trying to lead the little girl to the bathroom, to get some water to protect themselves with, but then she had hugged the girl.

What...Why did she hug Miya?

She had expected being burned after she hugged Miya, then that must mean...

_It couldn't be_.

Her eyes widened in horror and she whipped her head around to stare incredulously at the little bundle that she had held, lying innocently on the dirty ground. Quickly, she scrambled up ungracefully, this time ignoring the warnings she was getting from her logical self to regain her strength. She staggered towards the bundle, trembling.

The fabric surrounding it seemed to be soft, and of the color green. She knelt, and carefully unwrapped the green fabric, then holding it out in front of her. It turned out to be the familiar green pajamas Miya was wearing. The chibi-bunny design confirmed it. If it could, her eyes turned more larger, as she abruptly dropped it to the ground as if it burned her. She turned to the material that was still covering the bundle, and found out it was the same yellow smily shirt.

It couldn't be. It just can't.

A gray kiddie-bra was there, and white Len and Rin Kagamine custom-made underwear, but Maerielle threw it away(too crude). She picked up the bundle and softly peeked through the folded layers.

What she found was an innocently sleeping baby, curling into a ball, thumb stuck in it's mouth. It was a she. If Maerielle wasn't so troubled now, she would've cooed at the infant but the problem is, she _is_ troubled. The child's hair had barely grown, but Maerielle had a distinct feeling she knew what the hair color will be. She sighed and shut her eyes tight, wishing that it was somebody different.

She wished that what she was thinking was horribly wrong, that she didn't drag Miya into _this. _

But she knew it was Miya. Who else could it be? It was only her with Maerielle in that incident. Maerielle sighed in defeat and proceeded to carefully pick up the pajamas she dropped and at the same time balance the child in her other arm. She shook it for a few times, getting rid of the dirt, then wrapped it around the infant. The baby -more specifically Miya-, needed to be warmed.

When she was sure that the child was comfortable, she started rocking her back and fort, wondering how she should explain this to her little cousin. Miya -in her state- can't even_ speak_ properly yet!

She sighed once more, forcefully ignoring the numb feeling of her weak legs. As gracefully as she could, she walked in her weak state, wary of her surroundings.

Maerielle was back.

She didn't know if she should hate or love herself. Hate because she was becoming incredibly selfish, she had indeed dragged her younger cousin into this, or love, because she knew what life had waited for her here. She knew her beloved is still alive, courtesy of the Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring book, and she knew he would accept her because she knew that he loved her.

But things had become complicated. Whatever she must do, she must protect her cousin. But however can they communicate? How? How will Miya react? Surely she will hate Maerielle immensely.

Angrily, she pushed those thoughts away, and stayed with what she was contended with.

She was back, she was safe, she would become happy again. Where she was, do you wonder?

Well, darlings, Maerielle was back where her heart belongs; Middle Earth. Where she had lived a life of peace and love. Where she found her true love.

Quietly, she thought back to the start of her 'life' here in Arda.

At first, Maerielle panicked. She had remembered saving a child from being hit by a truck, but how did it come to her situation?

She had turned into a baby. A_ baby_ for Pete's sake!

She was a miniature, small, gurgling bumbling mess, wailing for all to hear, in that tiny space covered by the large rocks that homed the mountains. From what she figured out a few years later, in that small corner in the mountains, she was still far from Gondolin. Maerielle was confused. Why? Why can't she speak? She had cried, days after days, but nobody found her. Nobody heard her.

She found out the body she was inhabiting was a baby's, not even a toddler yet. Maerielle was upset. How could she survive in this body? She had remembered rolling out of the fabric that was wrapped around her, crawling down out from the dark corner, and into the light of day.

The sight that met her horrified her and amused her at the same time. Horrified, because if she had continued a few more steps(The ones that she can manage in her small form), she would've fallen from the mountains. Gurgling nervously, she peeked downwards, and gulped at the height she was perched upon. Amused, well, because children always seem to end up in troubles like this and stop one step before death.

She had backed up, using her knees since she was on her all fours, planning to return to her small dark corner and just die of hunger or exposure, but then, that's when the group of dark haired men with pointed ears had noticed her.

The next thing she knew, they were cooing at her and had talked about why she was so far from Gondolin, though she didn't know that in the beginning since she couldn't understand what language they were talking about. Maerielle didn't even know what a _Gondolin wa_s! The word was so unfamiliar like a freaking new species of frogs.

And Maerielle ain't familiar with frogs! The only ones she knew about were the green ones. Or were they toads?

She willed herself off her memories, eyes shutting tightly. By the Valar, her chest was starting to hurt of heartache. Her knees started to quiver, and she cursed herself for such weakness. She couldn't fall right now. She had a child on her arms. That's just not acceptable.

But her body wasn't listening to her head, as it started to tremble. She started muttering to herself, as she leaned on the nearest tree, her back to the trunk and slid helplessly to the ground. Her head lolled to the side, her long black hair covering her face.

What was she going to do now?

Her home, here in Arda, was lost, gone. She had no idea where she was, she was weak and helpless. Vulnerable to enemies. She had a baby with her, and though Maerielle may not admit it, she cannot guarantee Miya's safety.

Silently, she wept.

She cried herself to sleep, but she never let go of the infant on her arms.

Infact, she had tightened her hold more, and in a broken voice that was resulted of her crying, she sang a small lullaby. To comfort the baby or her, she didn't know.

~Third Person with Miya~

Where was she now?

Holy fudge. Was she still _alive? _

Slowly, she blinked her eyes open.

OK, she was confused. She had expected to meet the white boring ceiling of the hospital(complete with the small dots), and a worried, fussing nurse doing his or her job. What she saw though...

Was three unfamiliar strangers infront of her, anxious looks on their faces. They were all crowded around her, talking in some unknown language she can't identify(it could be Greek for all she knew, she didn't even know _many_ languages). The two on her right were older, somewhere in their mid-fifties, one a female and the other a male, while the other on her left looked like he was just Maerielle's age. Which was 21, mind you.

They were clearly in a wooden house, second floor too when Miya noticed the wooden stairs that led to another room above. There was a fireplace, its fire cackling like crazy. There was a desk on the other side of the room, books piled up together. There was another long table, filled with food. She observed the people with her, but then there was no Maerielle.

Wait, Maerielle?!

Panicking, she had opened her mouth to ask where her older cousin was, but to her surprise, what came out was inaudible gurgles that even_ she _can't identify. And it came from her own mouth. Talk about unbelievable.

Where was she?

Again, she tried to talk, but more gurgles came out. Now, _that's _when the chaos started.

The three strangers had noticed the sounds she made, but paid her no heed, still conversing with each other in the unknown language. The female was rapidly talking with a pleading tone in her voice, while the older male had replied(also rapidly) in a worried tone. However, when the little baby on the table started to tear up...

"Fridhu!_ Od gnihtemos!_" The one on her left cried out, covering his ears as he bolted from his sitting position, stumbling a few steps backward. Miya had paused in her wailing, looked at him, to see that he was wearing a long brown tunic and trousers.

But then she continued. At the request, the female immediately was on the side of the table, shifting the wailing child into her arms. She whispered to the baby to be silent(not the Miya knew), her eyes wide in alarm. Her attempts were futile, for the child continued to wail loudly.

Just then, there was a loud clattering from upstairs. Something must have fallen. Miya kept on wailing, ignoring the fact that the three people have frozen in their actions. Then there was a click, and a door slammed open. Frantic footsteps echoed through the house, and Maerielle appeared, looking like she had just woken up.

Her eyes widened at the sight of the stranger carrying Miya. "Ho _Ure! Ereht uoy era_!" She exclaimed in relief at the sight of the baby, but then it turned to the woman, instantly narrowing. "_Tahw era uoy gniod?!_" She shrieked, running to the female, quickly(but carefully) snatching Miya from her arms.

"_Tahw did uoy od_?" She harshly asked the woman, distress shining in her eyes and glaring protectively, her arms covering the child from the strangers' sights. The female, who was called "Fridhu" by the young male, only shook her head while the other males looked awed at her protectiveness with the infant.

Ignoring the others in the room, the wails died down, and Miya was now watching her cousin with a surprised expression on her young and innocent face. Ofcourse, she had noticed the differences on her cousin.

For one, there were scars that were never there. Her hair was longer, and she was taller. She was dressed up in a pale pink dress that Miya knew was_ never _in Maerielle's wardrobe.

"Shh..Shhh..It's OK, Miya. It's OK. Maerielle's here." She whispered quietly to Miya in English, but Miya had other intentions. She wanted to know where they were. She opened her mouth to start firing dozens of questions that she wanted answered, but all that came out were jumbled up noises.

Frustrated, the child started crying again, but this time more quietly at her cousin's request. Seeing this, this image of her little cousin, Maerielle herself started to tear up. She rocked the baby back and forth, her head bent down to meet Miya's eyes.

The little face scrunched up in confusion, cheeks still puffy from her quiet crying. "It's OK. It's OK. Once we're all alone, I'll explain everything to you." Well, that was assuring. But Miya knew she had no other option. She sent the older female a look that said "Everything?", and she got a nod as a reply.

Maerielle sighed in relief, and placed a kiss on the baby's forehead. Surprised, the baby let out a gurgle, making Maerielle laugh softly. "Now..." She started, smiling at the child. "Sleep." She ordered, and almost immediately, the baby's eyelids felt heavy. Obviously defeated, Miya decided to just sleep, and patiently wait for Maerielle's explanation.

The baby who used to be an 12-year-old, slept, her mind remaining confused.

~Third Person with Maerielle~

**(To make it easier for their conversations, Maerielle's POV will have them talking in Common Tongue, and the conversations will be formed normally. In Miya's POV though, she can't understand them, so we'll have to deal with the...ermm..technique I'm using.)**

After the infant drifted off to slumber, Maerielle carefully placed her back down in the desk in the other side of the room. Then she straightened up, and tugged a loose strand of black hair behind her ear. She turned around with teary eyes towards the mortals whom she assumed had taken her when she was asleep.

"You..." She started, choking slightly. She opened her mouth to continue but her voice seemed to fail her. She took a deep breath and stepped forward, her voice shaking. "You don't know how grateful I am to you for taking us in." She told them in a broken voice, her eyes meeting with the only woman of the house. She gave her a small smile.

"I apologize for my behaviour a while ago. When I just woke up without the infant with me I..."She explained, trailing off, clearly embarrassed. The woman gave her a smile and laughed. "You panicked?" Fridhu finished for her, and shyly, Maerielle nodded. That made the woman laugh more. "Not to worry, dear. I could never hurt a child. You are safe here." She comforted, and Maerielle gave her another smile.

"My name is Fridhu, and this is my husband, Hwítloc." Fridhu introduced herself kindly, gesturing to her, then to the man beside her. The kindly man smiled to her and bowed his head respectfully. "Then this is my son, Fromgast." She continued, then motioning for the man to come nearer. He did, stepping from the shadows. His eyes met with Maerielle's, and he looked down in embarrassment, red staining his cheeks.

At this, Fridhu and Hwítloc shared amused glances, and making Maerielle mentally sigh. She nodded her head in thanks for the introduction. "My name is Manwathiel. It is an honor to meet you." She stated, using the name she was given when she arrived here. Hwítloc shook his head, smiling slightly. "No, milady. It is a pleasure to meet _you_." He repeated, smile growing bigger at her humble gaze. "You are one of the Eldar. The elves...correct?" He reluctantly assumed, making Maerielle, or should we say Manwathiel, nod her head.

"Ai!" Fridhu exclaimed worriedly, stepping beside Maerielle. She circled the elleth, fussing like a mother(which she was). "You are so far from your home!" The woman exclaimed, and the sentence made Maerielle smile bitterly. "Yes... I am." She confirmed softly, this time, seemingly talking to herself. The silence that followed was eerily uncomfortable, but then Maerielle brightened.

"But- Nevermind that." She hastily added, smiling at the small human family. They smiled back, albeit unsure. "Come here, sit, sit!" Invited Fridhu, and hesitantly, Maerielle sat at the chair offered. The older woman plopped down next to her with her own chair. She had this eager expression on her face that made Maerielle giggle.

Hwitloc shook his head, amused. "C'mon, son. Let us leave the women to their gossip." He teasingly stated, making his wife whip her head around to playfully glare at him. He laughed, grabbing an axe before exiting the house, entirely missing the shoe that his wife threw at him. The shoe hit the wooden wall of the cabin, making the whole house vibrate.

Maerielle laughed at their childish-couple antics. Fridhu huffed, but then turned to Maerielle with the same eager expression, like nothing happened. "So, dear Manwathiel, tell me, what is the name of your child?" She asked excitedly, and the question made Maerielle blink, confused. Realization dawned her, and she blushed heavily. "O-Oh no no no no no! She is not my child. She is my cousin." She explained rapidly, the blush still on her cheeks, as she gestured to the baby.

Fromgast seemed to sigh in relief, and dryly, Maerielle figured out his reason. Fridhu took the information well, nodding her head understandingly, exclaiming a small 'Ah!' under her breath. "Nevertheless, what is her name?" She asked, and Maerielle had to inhale nervously.

She still had not thought of a name for Miya! Her eyes glanced back and forth nervously, as she tried to make up a name. "Her name is..err. Gait..Re." She answered on a whim, cringing at herself when she thought how Miya would react to being named after an underwear brand.

"Gait Re?" The older woman parotted, and Maerielle silently reminded herself never to forget that this woman was younger than her. She nodded. "Hmmm..Gait Re. What a strange name."Fromgast muttered from the other side of the room, and while Fridhu didn't catch it, Maerielle certainly did. She almost rolled her eyes at him, but managed to refrain from doing so.

Suddenly, Fridhu leaped up, bustling around, looking extremely embarrassed with herself. She dusted herself off the imaginary dust then helped Maerielle up. "Oh, how rude of me. You're clearly still tired, dear. How about you climb upstairs and rest?" She suggested softly, her brown eyes softening. But then she grinned and winked at Maerielle.

"And I can guarantee that this time, little Gait Re will be beside you." She playfully assured, and Maerielle nodded in thanks. "Now go upstairs. Go! Go!" Fridhu encouraged, and Maerielle had no choice but to obey. She gracefully stood up, curtsied to the both of them before taking the bundled up sleeping baby into her arms. She climbed up the stairs, her footsteps silent. But then she paused and turned to the two humans. "Umm...I'd like to know...where I am." She told them softly and Fridhu excitedly opened her mouth to answer, but Fromgast beat her to it.

He shifted his position leaning on the wall. "You are in the outskirts of Rohan." He grunted, and Maerielle blinked at the answer. She was indeed so far from home. Sighing, she could only nod her head to him in thanks, and then she continued her way up.

Upstairs, she opened the door slowly, stepping inside, then closing it. She placed the child on the bed, before slumping down herself, asleep in a blink of an eye.

~Some Time Later~

Maerielle drearily blinked her blue eyes open, wincing at the ray of sunshine that met her sight. Moaning softly to herself, she wondered if it was all a dream, shutting her eyes close.

Slowly, she dragged herself up, scratching her eyes, using the itchiness as an excuse to not see if everything was a dream. But soon, the itchiness stopped. Again, she opened her eyes...and sighed.

She was in Middle Earth. It wasn't some crazy dream that wanted to torment her after all. Her shoulders sagged down, in relief or disappointment she didn't know. She threw her legs off the bed, and carefully stood up, stumbling a few times, but then she managed to stand straightly. She walked to the window and parted the curtains, her eyes peering down.

She saw the fatherly man; Hwitloc, and the kind nice woman who talked to her; Fridhu. Hwitloc was laughing loudly, before bringing his axe down on a chunk of wood. Fridhu winced at the sudden sound, and glared at her spouse. The glare only seemed to fuel the other's mirth. A fond smile found its way into Maerielle's lips.

She turned her gaze to the young Fromgast, who was leaning on the tree, arms folded on his chest, looking at his parents with amusement dancing in his brown eyes.

Her heart yearned for a family like this in Arda, and when out of nowhere, Fromgast's gaze swept up to her location. Their eyes briefly met, and taken aback, Maerielle blinked in surprise. Then, offering a sign of peace, she smiled on the boy, before letting the curtain slip from her fingers then turning away.

She didn't really turn away, she just stood there, in front of the window smiling to herself. But then, a gurgle came from behind her, and shocked, she rapidly twisted her body around, almost jumping if she didn't know better.

Miya, the baby, had somehow managed to sit up, and was now on her all fours on the bed, giving Maerielle a dry look that screamed ' .'

Then...again, taking Maerielle by surprise, an unfamiliar presence filled her mind. The strange presence had a familiar voice though. 'Damn it. Why can't I talk?'.

Definitely, it was Miya's voice. Eyes wide, she pointed a finger at the infant. "Was that you?" She asked in a soft shuddering voice, and Miya only cocked her head in confusion. "The one, just now." She added, but that only succeeded in making the other's eyebrows furrow.

'What the heck is she talking about?' There it was again. For the second time(in the chapter), realization dawned her, and she whispered it to the air. "I can hear you speaking in your mind."

'Eh? Really?'

"Really." Maerielle confirmed with a nod. She walked towards the bed, then sat down in the edge, gently lifting Miya then setting her on her lap. 'Woah, woah, woah. You just lifted me.'. Maerielle could only give the infant a dry look. 'OK, I'm never getting used to that. Ever.' That seemed to be an oath. "Don't worry, little one. You will not be like this forever." She told her, and the baby just smiled.

'Now you'll have to explain. Everything.'

Feeling queasy, Maerielle could only nod, as she started on with her life story.


	3. Chapter 3

~Flashback with Maerielle~

-3 months old-

She was staring at the whole realm through the window. The curtains were thankfully parted for her to see the whole place, because she feared actually trying to stand up to get them away from the view. With her current height(which she still didn't know what) , she wondered if she could even try to pry those red silk curtains open.

She was away from the window of course. The window was different from the modern glass windows. This window was just a gaping square hole, with two pieces of wood supposed to act as those small doors attached to cabinets, then the silk curtains. It was currently open, and she knew that if she could get close to it, she might slip and fall outside the window, and the fall would lead to her death.

She let out a gurgle as she watched all the commotion happening outside. There were carts and lots of trees and stone paved roads and there were so many barbie-look-alike people. The Barbies(or so she had dubbed them) were very beautiful, exceeding the Barbie doll itself. Their hairs always seemed to be in place, even after running, or climbing or having the strong wind past them.

They were all tall and graceful. Their steps barely made sounds as all Maerielle could hear was the cluttering of wood and the howling of the wind. Probably the carts or something.

The Barbies greeted each other in such a friendly manner that Maerielle had to blink disbelievingly. She didn't know if they actually knew each other, but they were extremely friendly and kind. The female barbies were wearing dresses in such finery that envy spiked in her heart. They were extremely pretty too.

The male barbies were also pretty. However, while the female Barbies are pretty, Maerielle could cope with that...but males?! What the heck? What crazy place did she end up in to?

The first thing she knew was that she was a baby and next there were Barbie-like people everywhere that were definitely the epitome of Mary-Sues and Gary-Stus. Fudge, she was really in a confusing place.

Anyway, the pretty male barbies were pretty in their own way. And believe me, they still managed to pull the beauty look while remaining pretty. They could have easily won the Miss Universe(or Mister) with a glance.

More envy spiked in her heart.

Unhappily, she gurgled and crossed her small arms to her now small chest. Her gurgles were seemingly the only noise she could make, well besides wailing or laughing. They were the only, acceptable noise she could make.

Her small gurgle seemed to catch someone's attention though. A tall, blond male Barbie approached her window, staring at her with a smile on his lips. His hair was straight, and his face full of brightness and joy that Maerielle suddenly wanted to cover her eyes and yell "AHHH! MY EYES!". His eyes were also bright, and they looked keen, to Maerielle's perspective.

"Iii~~A! _Htereble eb desiarp! Ti si a ybab_!" He exclaimed in the unknown but (again) beautiful language. Mentally, Maerielle frowned at her constant use of the word 'beautiful'. She only gurgled and tried to act as an infant. She smiled at him, albeit shyly, before crawling nearer to the window, then reaching out and began playing with his hair.

He chuckled, and no matter how cliché it sounded, his voice sounded something like music. Again, Maerielle mentally frowned at his Gary-Stu-ness, but then decided to just focus on his blond hair that she was holding with. They were long, even longer than the hair she used to have. It was silky and so shiny that she had to wonder how much time all these Barbies spent to make their hair perfect. "_Olleh, elttil eno_." He greeted, a large grin appearing on his face.

Maerielle only giggled outwardly, but she was cringing on the inside. Being a baby...sucks.

A door opened, creaking loudly from behind, making both the blond Barbie and Maerielle turn their heads around. A lady, looking like she was 30, had entered the room. Her dress was a pale pink that almost seemed white, the skirt dragging to the floor. With an elegant belt on the waist and a matching hair piece, and her dark hair falling in cascading waves, the woman looked heavenly.

Maerielle was not as surprised as the Barbie. At the two times she has awoken before, it was this woman who had carried her, fed her and changed her, so she figured that this woman was the light of the family, or in other words, the wife, or perhaps daughter of the Barbie that found her.

"_Ho raed! A doog gninrom, Drol Glorfindel._" She said in surprise, curtsying immediately at the sight of the blond Barbie. The infant cocked her head to the side. It seemed that this male was well known.

"I _ees ve'uoy tem elttil Manwathiel_." The lady added softly, her comforting gaze moving to the baby. Slowly, she approached the window where Maerielle was with graceful steps. As she reached them, she carefully lifted Maerielle up into her arms then rocking her back and forth, softly humming an unknown lullaby. With a slender finger, she gently poked Maerielle's small nose.

Said baby blinked at the impact, but then reached her tiny arms up and this time played with the Lady's hair. It seemed she did the right thing, or so she confirmed when the Lady smiled brightly.

"_A doog gninrom ot uoy oot, Ydal Aistacariel_." The blond Barbie greeted, his words sounding the same to the Lady's words a while ago, as he took in the sight of an elleth taking care of Maerielle. He then stepped closer to the both of them, the nearest possible with the wall blocking his way. He could only watch by the window.

He bent his upper body forward, his head entering the window. "_Manwathiel, he? Hcus a lufituaeb eman_." He cooed to the baby, reaching an arm out and gently patting the baby's head. Slightly annoyed, Maerielle huffed and ignored him, continuing to play with the Lady's hair.

Lord Glorfindel, or so has the Lady Aistacariel had addressed him, blinked at the infant's disregard of him. The Lady did too, before looking at each other, then bursting out laughing. Their laughter seemed to fill up the whole house. Twinkling, happy laughter.

The lady had covered her mouth with her free hand, her shoulders still shaking. Maerielle shook her head and wondered what the heck was so funny. Her semi-annoyed and confused expression only fired up their mirth.

At last, when Maerielle had let out an angry noise, they had stopped, and the Lady only continued rocking her in her arms. "_Ydalim, si ehs sruoy_?" He asked, an amused expression on his face. "Eru,_ on!_" Lady Aistacariel had stopped rocking Maerielle and was denying the accusation(or was it?) quite feverently. To Maerielle anyway.

"_Ym dnabsuh dnuof reh_."

Shaking his blond head, Glorfindel furrowed his brows. "_**Dnuof**__ reh_? _Woh_?" He asked, a newfound passion in his voice. Whatever this girl-barbie had said to this male-barbie must have been startling. Sadly, Lady Aistacariel only closed her eyes and continued to hum to Maerielle.

Glorfindel took in a sharp intake of breath, and he shook his head, looking angry. "_Erehw era reh laer stnerap? Erew yeht dekcatta?_" He continued to ask, however, his face was sour. Again, Aistacariel could only shake her head sadly. _"Ti yam evah neeb reven detroper ot uoy, tub eht snedraw did ton dnif gnihtyna or enoyna. Woh ehs si ereh si a yretysm._"

The sad smile Glorfindel gave her screamed to her that they were talking about something not-good.

* * *

-6 years old-

The elves(once called the Barbies) were staring at her again.

Gee, what was so strange about an elleth carrying a plank of wood and ropes?

Yes, Maerielle had found out that children in Middle Earth had no Earth-y childhoods. That is why she had apparently decided to introduce them to the enjoyable playtime object that is called...the swing.

But why the heck was she receiving the odd looks? What was so unlikely at this sight?

She caught sight of children playing with dolls and make-shift swords and arrows.

She frowned unhappily and trudged on more. Who wants to play with those nowadays? Well, now that she has returned to being a child, she still played with them, but it gave her no satisfaction at all! These elves will grow up to be doing what they wished they would do, anyway! The males will become elven soldiers and would handle real swords and bows and arrows, while the females will have children, and get to take care of the house.

Basically, they would still be doing the same thing! And it'll go on forever and ever and ever like some weird cycle, and Maerielle refuses to let it happen to her! In her childhood, she will be playing on a damn swing, slide and see-saw, whether the people around her approved about it or NOT!

As you can see, she's quite passionate about it.

Clueless, all of them!

Given, she proceeded to ignore them and tried to walk faster, more so than her little legs can. She scowled mentally. She was so used to having long legs with the ability to walk faster, run faster and jump higher, and honestly, these two small legs were pissing her off.

Greatly.

She resisted the urge to glare. That would only worsen the stares she was receiving, and then everybody will be wondering if she'd gone mad because she was glaring at nothing in particular. Plus, Aistacariel, Mother, Naneth, or whatever she called the elleth that took her in along with her adoptive Father, had told her that she is an elleth, one of the elves, or the Fair Folk. While glaring doesn't really make them ugly, it displeases others. Rolling her eyes in her head, she focused more on the dirt road. There was a particularly large, oak tree near the Lesser Market, so she decided to build the swing there. The oak was near a small, beautiful creek that glittered when sunlight shone upon it, and it was positioned on the side of a hill, so gravity was strong there.

Yes, she liked her place very much.

Another reason is that nobody really comes to the oak tree because there was basically nothing to do there, unless climbing trees, but Maerielle would change that.

She greeted the elves she knew and did not know, smiling at all of them brightly. There was Adlanniel, who sold flowers that were the most gorgeous in Maerielle's opinion. Then there was Idhrenion, the bread maker and his sons, Glanhelmion and Valdaglerion. The older elf kindly smiled at her, whispered something to his sons, making the both of them blush heavily.

The older laughed and gave some bread to each of them and beckoned them to Maerielle. Maerielle paused in her walking and raised an eyebrow curiously as the two older elves approached her and thrust the bread into her arms.

"_Mára aurë _Glanhelmion and Valdaglerion. What are these for?" (Hello) She asked, shifting the objects she is holding so that she could secure both the loaves of bread into her arms.

The older, Glanhelmion, blushed and mumbled something, turning away immediately, making his black hair bounce a little. At the action, Maerielle mentally scoffed. Even Males' hairs bounce here, Barbie much?

"I apologize, but I did not quite catch that." She politely stated, making the younger, Valdaglerion, laugh softly. He grinned at her dry expression. "What my brother meant is, those loaves are for you, Manwathiel." He said softly, and Maerielle brightened. She gave Glanhelmion a thankful gaze and a jolly smile.

"Ah! Is it? Thank you, you guys. Can you also send my sincerest thanks to your_ adar_? His breads are the best!" She requested pleasantly, and waved at the both of them, then continued on her way, a bounce in her step. Lady Aistacariel was very strict with her diet, so these bread are really precious to her.

She made a few twists and turns, then stopped abruptly when she approached the Fountains of the South. Letting out a small squeak, she dropped down to her knees and crawled among the crowd to hide behind the stone fountain. At this, she received more strange looks, and chuckles about the youth, but she ignored all of them. Instead, she pulled herself closer to the fountain, holding her materials closer to herself.

Glorfindel was there!

Glorfindel was the strangest enigma to Maerielle. Sure, she had met him when still an infant, and he's a good 200 years older than her, but he confused her greatly. First of all, she can't seem to get rid of him, whenever he's around. You see, after he met her on that faithful day, he would always stop by to visit, be it once or twice or thrice a month. Sometimes, he'd even bring some of his troops to coo at her, because it was obvious, it was their first time seeing an elfling, but it annoyed Maerielle. She hated the fact that she was starting to like that ellon(It isn't a crush, damnnit! Says she), oh she hated the fact more, that even when she tries to very best to be mad at him for every reason possible, he won't stop bothering her.

And she was starting to be fond of him! Would you believe that?!

Her breathing turns uneven, as she peeks above the fountain to see him circling it, talking with two dark haired ellons. Squeaking again, she moves farther away, also circling the fountain, but in reverse to his circling. Once she is satisfied that she was away, she peeked out again. She paled.

Even worse! He sat on the fountain, continuing to discuss. After taking a look at the other ellons, she figured it was going to be a very long discussion. His eyes turned to where she was, and quickly, she ducked down, shrinking. She sends the Way of Running Waters a fleeting look and can't help but whine over the fact that she was so close to victory. She must compromise.

Gently lacing her fingers together, she thought hard, muttering to herself. She could make a run for it, but he'll notice eventually. She sighed heavily and looks at the wood at her lap. Maybe she could creep behind him and whack his head to make him fall unconscious, but then, she'll be charged for attempted murder and jailed.

Or maybe, she could bring out a bomb and throw it over to a population-less place, then the attention will go to that! Then she'll have enough time to escape and build her swing in peace. Maerielle's eyebrows furrowed, as she mentally scoffed at the plan. Yes, what a brilliant plan that is. It had so many loopholes, she's wondering if she's herself today. First of all, where'd she get a bomb?! And how could she be so sure that place'll be population-less place?!

She rubbed her forehead, annoyed. Gah, now she's staring to get a head ache. And, she won't really go to that level to escape Glorfindel. He's not really that bad...

She looks up and takes another small peek.

It was the biggest mistake of her life.

Because at the very same moment, he looked at her.

And their eyes met.

Her mouth hung open. "Damn," She cursed softly, not taking her eyes off, "There goes that sneak plan." Glorfindel excused himself from his discussion, making both his companions raise their eyebrows. The leader of the House of the Golden Flower chuckled, discreetly pointing to where Maerielle was. "I've got an elleth to entertain." He explained quietly, starting to approach her location.

Sensing him, Maerielle immediately stood up, took a few steps, and...promptly ran like the wind. His blue eyes twinkled, then quickly, he was running after her, a smirk on his lips.

She ran, and ran, and ran, for what seemed like hours. It was always like this with Glorfindel, she thought to herself dryly. She would always run away, for no apparent reason, and he would always chase after her. She could see it, the guy thrived for a friendship between them, and for some unknown reason, Maerielle would run. And he would always chase after her.

And after a while, she thought to herself, a wry smile gracing her lips, even she would start enjoying the chase.

And that's what she did. She enjoyed the chase. She ducked down barrels, leaped over carts, molded herself among the crowds, something an elleth of 6 age, too young, can't do. Sorry to the folks, but Maerielle hated being discreet.

Maerielle was so sure she had lost him when she slid down the hillside, clutching on the trunk of the oak tree to stop herself from completely tumbling down, her wood and rope clutched on her armpit. She laughed to herself, freely, away from the crowds of people. She laughed so hard, her stomach was hurting.

"Are you quite done now, Manwathiel?"

She paused, her eyes widening. Slowly, she looked up. And her jaw falls down. An accusing finger points to the leader of the House of the Golden Flower, "I thought I lost you!" She exclaimed disbelievingly, her childish antics mixing with her real thoughts. Glorfindel chuckled again, leaning on the tree, "Not quite child. Those stunts you pulled were quite dangerous. I think I should speak with your naneth."

Maerielle gasped, outraged. Not only did he call her child, (well, she was), he was also pulling the 'Ill-tell-your-mother-brat stunt! She hit his legs with her hand, since it was the only thing she could reach, a glare on her face. "You will do no such thing!" She told him, voice stern.

Cockily, he raised an eyebrow, a teasing grin on his lips. "Oh?" Filling up her role as a child, Maerielle was quite determined to get rid of this guy. Now. "Yes, 'oh'." She mimicked in a mocking voice, and this time, it caused him to raise another eyebrow. She stomped her foot on the ground, "Look, ellon, sorry if I don't respect you, but I'm getting sick with you following me around always! I want to be rid of you, because you annoy me!" She yelled out hatefully, unceremoniously dumping her materials on the ground, startling him. "When I'm here, you're here, and when I'm there, you're there! You follow me around like some sick puppy! Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?!" Her childish voice rose an octave higher. "And every time I see you, you chase me! Yes, you chase me all around like some dog! I don't even know why I run! And then you're always there, whenever I think I lost you!" Maerielle breathed out deeply, then inhaling again, ignoring how he winces whenever she gives a blow. "I. Am. Annoyed!" She screamed hysterically, then abruptly turned around, crossing her arms over her chest, and raising her chin higher.

There. She said it all. In one breath.

His reply was silence. Then in a humble voice, he apologized, not only surprising Maerielle, but blowing her away. "I...I apologize, Manwathiel. I was merely going to ask what you were doing and if I may help you, but I realize now that you must hate me. I apologize again, child. I promise, I shan't bother you anymore. I'll...I'll just return to my post, then..."

…

…

…

She hated that fact that he sounded like a kicked puppy. Her confidence faltered, her chest suddenly heavy. She glanced behind her to see him climbing back up the hill, his lips forming the word "Becareful." Even when she can't hear it.

O..kay, maybe she went a little bit too far. Her shoulders drooped down, and unconsciously, she bit her lip. She went A tad bit TOO far. What if she scars him emotionally to cause him suicide?! What if he thinks about it too much he won't see a bull running at the middle of the road, and it'll trample over him and squash him flat?! What if he tells everybody and her reputation would be ruined?! What if he won't visit her anymore?!

What if he won't chase her...anymore?

Maerielle bit her lip again. There were so many what ifs... She thought for a second, then looks up at Glorfindel's retreating back. She hated the fact that her child body is affecting her line of thinking. She hated the fact that she was going to call him back... Oh bollocks.

"Wait!"

He stopped, and turns around, his face still like a kicked puppy's. Maerielle gestured him to return in front of her, "C'mere." He did, slowly. Mentally, Maerielle felt the tables turn. It was as if he was winning...was this some sort of trick?

Fudge it, she felt like she's going to regret this...

"Yes?" He asked softly, and she takes a deep breath. Worth it. "I...will forgive, if you help me build this thing." She grumbled in defeat, pointing to the rope and plank of wood. She wasn't really the kind to kick people, even puppies.

His face lit up like a Christmas tree, and then the 6 year old found herself being thrown up the air, by a laughing Glorfindel. "O-Oi! G-Glorfindel!" She fell back into his arms, and gently, he set her down, smiling. "I knew I would get through you." He stated in triumph, making Maerielle suddenly halt in her tracks. "What-?" Realization dawned her. She felt anger spike in her heart. Next thing she knew , she was clawing at his leg. "I cannot believe it!" She shrieked, "You tricked me, you jerk! Why I oughta-" He tsked. "And what will I tell your naneth?"

His smirk was so irritating, Maerielle wanted to scratch it off his face. Growling, she returned to a civil stance, "Nothing. You will tell her absolutely nothing."

He broke out into laughter again, and involuntarily, she felt her glare soften, and her frown to turn into a pout. After a few seconds, she abruptly turned away, covering her mouth, her eyes wide. No, nuhhh way was she going to smile. She forced her lips to a scowl, but the side kept turning up that she quickly gave up. She gave the older ellon a withering look. "One day..." She promised to herself quietly.

Glorfindel patted her head, then picked up the plank and the rope, giving both the items curious looks. "I will stick to the promise. I'll help you make this, then you would forgive me." Maerielle nodded begrudgingly. He raised an eyebrow. "What do you plan to do with these?" He asked curiously, shifting the objects into his arms.

A small, sloppy smile made its way to her lips. "The rope is to tie you up on this tree, and the plank is what I'll use to hit your face repeatedly."

He raised another eyebrow. "Manwathiel..." He started warningly, and the younger girl giggled, smiling. "I was kidd-err...jesting. Alright, I plan to make a swing and then..." Then she launched into a very detailed explanation, and told Glorfindel all he needed to know.

The result was beautiful. Maerielle had to gasp. She turned to the older. "Glorfindel, you should become a craftsman and spend the rest of your old life making these things!" He made a face, making her smile. She quickly took her place on the newly built swing, and then gently pushed herself off the ground. The effect it had on her was joyous as she felt it swing gently. She laughed. "It worked, Glorfindel!" She cheered, too caught up on the moment to actually care if she was acting too happy.

The swing was made for another purpose. It was to remind her of her real home. Earth. With her parents and her annoying younger brother. With her matchmaking younger cousin and friends. Her confidence grew. She pushed more harder and harder on the ground that in the rest of her ride on the swing, she need no more push, for she felt like she was already sailing in the sky. The view helped a lot.

Oh, and stunned Glorfindel, speechless he was. Watching the young elleth laugh her throat sore made his heart soar like a bird freed from a cage. He let a smile appear on his lips, as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned on the tree, satisfaction rolling off from him.

Truthfully, her speech earlier shocked him to death. He only caught on to her at the middle of her yelling, when he realized that young Manwathiel was trying to act like an adult. Like one of them. He smiled once more. She shouldn't. She only had 4 more years of childhood before she gets to be an adult...forever.

So, he simply relished the moment of seeing the laughing elleth.

Later on, he would be annoyed at how stubborn she was, not wanting to go home for lunch, because she wanted to spend her time with the swing, whom she unnecessarily named Jasper(What a strange name, Glorfindel thought)

* * *

-14 years old-

Maerielle walked by the Lesser Market, inhaling deeply the cold morning air. It was too early for someone like her to be awake, but yesterday she had a fever and had slept before even the sun set. She was continuing to puzzle her adoptive parents. Supposedly, elves don't get easily sick.

She only waved it off yesterday, her spirits too laid down to complain or argue. She hates colds and fevers, it made her feel so uneasy and uncomfortable with her own self.

Dressed in a simply white dress her naneth had made for her, she walked around, simply enjoying the peace and the wind.

Ofcourse, there were also other elves who were awake, but only a few number, and Maerielle appreciated the silence.

Glorfindel had gone with the scouts for a week, supposed to return today or tomorrow. She didn't wake up early to meet him, no, (No, damn it! She denies) she just wanted... to be there, you know?

Her waking up too early has nothing to do with Glorfindel. Nothing. Nothing at all.

But she can't help it as she found herself waiting by the gates, lightly conversing with the post guards. And she can't help but also smile in relief as the figures of the scouting party formed through the early morning fog, Glorfindel in the lead.

Her hearbeat picked up and she gave the elflord a small wave.

A wave he did not return...

* * *

-54 years old-

Maerielle walked stiffly, her body now at the form she was more accustomed to. She was carrying a pile of neatly folded tunics, that she was to deliver to the troops of the House of the Golden Sun, and their leader. The headservant had ordered her to do so, because after the previous scouting where an attack was made on Glorfindel and his companions, there is to be another scouting mission. The tunics that were used before were bloodied and torn, and exceptionally, Maerielle and a few other servants were asked to wash them, mend them, and give them once more to the troops.

Maerielle was grown now. No longer a child. She realized that like on Earth, life was also hard here in Gondolin, so she needed to find work. And then, her naneth, Aistacariel, offered her a job in the King's Palace, where she works now, and have worked on for a couple of years.

It was long ago that she saw Glorfindel last. When she was 35, turning 36, was the last visit Glorfindel gave her, with the apology of his that the other elleths are starting to think other of his visits to her family once a month, and that he was also getting busy as leader, so the visit must simply stop.

His sorry excuse left Maerielle angry. Let the others think what they want! Surely, Glorfindel wasn't going to stop his visits! Over the years, she had grown attached to him, she believed they became best friends, and after all this time, she still hasn't grasped that one fact...that Glorfindel wants her to grasp.

So she waited. At that month. And the month after that month. And the next month. Until she realized she's been waiting for two years. Then she gave up.

And here she is now.

For the first time in a very long time, she was going to see him. And she wanted to see what he will do.

They were waiting in the Road of Arcs, for they will leave soon, so she placed speed in her steps, and before she knew it, she was sprinting towards the road, her heart beating in anxiety and excitement. What was Glorfindel going to do? Was he going to finally talk to her?

She arrived to the place shortly, skidding to a halt. And behold, up on the air, was the banner of the House of the Golden Sun. A golden banner with the rays of the sun and a golden flower, the symbols, like its leader, confused Maerielle greatly. But she said nothing, as she leaned on a pillar, and tried to regain her breath. Most of the elves in the house weren't strangers to her, Glorfindel introduced them to her when she was naught but an infant, and even as he grew distant, those elves still talked to her.

A particular tall one with straight black hair and dark eyes chuckled at her disheveled expression, urging his horse forward to trot over her. She gave him a weak smile. "_Mára aurë _, Eraithlien." (Hello) She greeted breathlessly, and he chuckled again. "Child, Manwathiel, why in such a hurry? Want to be rid of us so quickly?"

The others but Glorfindel, whom she knew was watching behind that pillar, chuckled along with him. She laughed, giving them all a raised eyebrow. "No, not really, but with Raindolthien's sharp eyes on my back, I had to run all the way in fear of spontaneously bursting into flames." She joked, handing a clean white tunic to him. The road was filled with melodious men laughter, that mentally, Maerielle rolled her eyes and dully noted that their voices sounded like professional choirs.

"Anyway," She piped in quietly, "I wish you all luck on the mission." She stated softly, handing each tunic to the wardens. Then, as she turned round the pillar, effectively startling a listening Glorfindel, "All of you." She repeated softly, handing him his tunic and then she stared at his eyes. Quickly, he took away the tunic and broke the eye contact. Slightly put off, how dare he just back off like that, she pulled back and haughtily raised her chin up, her eyes narrowed. "Well, that's all gentlemen. I hope to see you all soon." And she stalked off.

She did not go back to the palace. Instead, she ran all the way to the lesser market, near the hillside, where the old swing still remained. She stared at it. For so many seconds. For hours. Then she sat upon it, and started swinging again.

She cannot say why she cried.

Now of all times.

* * *

-55 years old-

"No." Her face was set to stone, and her lips twisted on a pout. Her fellow ellith gave her the puppy eyes, squealing. Ofcourse, their eyes made no comparison to her relatives(younger brother, youngest cousin, and younger cousin) who had mean ones that could practically convince the president to turn gay, but just because Maerielle had seen better before, doesn't mean she could resist those...

...wide, extremely cute, pleading, begging, tearing eyes...

She shook herself back into reality. "No." She almost fell for it! She can't help that they were that so enticing..."No." She repeated firmly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Raindolthien's going to massacre us if she ever finds out." Valadhiel, 30 years older than Maerielle, huffed from her corner, a wry smile on her face. "Oh, Manwathiel," She gushed, putting down her knitting materials, "Why can not you enjoy for once? You have been so uptight, you've earned your title and place as one of the headservants in less than 3 years, you have already proved your worth! What more troubles you?" She asked, voice melodic.

Maerielle rolled her eyes, leaning on the table with one hand. "Do not start, Angel." She warned, her right eyebrow twitching. "Once the old bat catches at least a scent of us, we are all going down. No exception."

Faerith, who was the youngest of the group, and the most loudest, laughed. "Who says she will find out? Manwathiel, have some fun!" The others agreed, excitedly trying to convince her also. Maerielle also wanted to loosen up, but with so many preparations for the next festive week, she can't afford to get drunk and partay.

She frowned. "I honestly don't know what to do." she muttered, closing her eyes in thought. She could hear all of them plead. This is going to be a big mistake. She voiced her thoughts. The others giggled, and sent her googley eyed looks.

She sighs. "Go ahead."

And then, she finds herself being dragged all the way to the other side of the realm, by all her party-excited friends. She was being a kill-joy again, and honestly, she wanted to snort to herself. Being killjoy was her cousin; Miya's job, but here Maerielle was, taking after her cousin's pessimistic attitude. It was oddly endearing and ironic. Because back at Earth, Maerielle would laugh about her cousin's negative attitude.

She figured this time around, she won't ever tease Miya for being such a KJ. With an untrained eye, she let herself be dragged, and instead, looked up at the sky, watching the clouds form up in the sky. A lot has changed since she was still so young. Her life didn't revolve around Glorfindel anymore(It never did, she says), and she was busy making new friends.

But strangely, she was still fond of Glorfindel, no matter how much the both of them ignored each other in this life. How she missed the times when she would hide from him because she already expects constant irateness that'll come from him, (I do not! She says) But then, time flies by. Time changed her, and so it did to him.

Maerielle still doesn't know how the heck she came upon this world, so as she and he ignore each other's presence, she spends her time trying to figure out, why, how, and what is going on back home. She would even leave Gondolin to seek out the answers to her problem, but she was too busy, helping out around the realm, and she knew she couldn't travel alone, out of Gondolin . The number of enemies were increasing by day, and even if Maerielle hasn't personally seen an orc's face, she could imagine how hard life was outside the walls of Gondolin.

From that time, and onto the rest of the evening, she kept herself busy by troubling her pretty little mind with the questions that still aren't answered. She ignored the elves around her, dancing, and drinking elven wine, partying like modern teenagers, but only more civil and without those swinging, grinding, holding bodies. Maerielle snapped out of her thoughts to scrutinize her companions. Well, not exactly like modern teenagers. Their dance were traditional and modest, and twinkling laughter, not seductive glances and smirks.

She sighed. Suddenly, a pint of elvish ale blocked her vision, and momentarily, she looked up, to see that it was Valadhiel. The other elleth was giggling, already drunk form the strong wine. "Manwathiel! Drink and dance with us!"

She shook her head. "I appreciate that you care about my amusement this evening, but no thank you."

She didn't know how the night ended up with her mind fazing up and herself drunk to oblivion. She was giggling, dancing, giving suggestive winks and modern jokes and singing and doing things she would never ever usually do.

She hiccupped drunkenly, holding a small sharpened fork in her hands, slipping out of the party unnoticed. She stumbled her way through Gondolin, not knowing where her feet were taking her,

Surprise, surprise, it brought her to the talan of one Mister Glorfindel.

And she ended up knocking politely, and when he opened, his whole upper body exposed, she didn't know how she did it, she retracted her whole right arm this one not holding the fork, and made it into a fist. In one move, she had thoroughly broken the elflord's nose.

The elflord reared back, holding his nose and his eyes disbelieving and wide. "H-Huwat?" He croaked out, wincing as blood flowed out of his nose like a dam.

Maerielle looked at him and smiled sheepishly. "Take that, you bastard... I was actually -hic- falling inlurve with you and -hic- you- you ungrateful sod!" She stumbled forward and tried to stab him with the fork.

The day after, she woke up in a different talan's couch, her head rested in a bare chest. Of a certain elf-lord. Named Glorfindel.


End file.
